Christmas in July???

We are in the midst of a scorching heat wave but when I saw the challenge posted on the Cardz TV blog, I couldn't resist. Mary's challenge is for us to make a Christmas card in July! Why not - perhaps sitting in my air conditioned craft room (thankfully!) will be better for me than being outside. One catch though, the challenge was to use ONLY the following colors: pink, green, red, white and black. Because the base card is black, I will be using a white gel pen for the inside sentiment.

I just received a new die from QuicKutz and I was very anxious to use it and I thought that this challenge would be an excellent inaugural event.

Paper: Me & My Big Ideas
Die: QuicKutz - Tree
Cutting Machine: Cuttlebug
Adhesive: ZIG 2-Way Glue Pen; Pop Dots
Embellishment: Diamond Stickles
Gel Pen: Gelly Roll - White

I was very disappointed with my photo though. The red is a very cranberry red, the green is more olive, some of the pink polka dots didn't show up clearly and you can't see the glistening effect of the Stickles. What is a crafter to do! I guess I just need some better lighting. Sorry about this but I was under the gun to get this card in on time.